1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of exercise devices and particularly to a device for exercising the arms and torso and directly controlled by the effort put into it by a user.
2. The Prior Art
A number of exercise devices have been suggested for exercising at least the user's torso and arms by having the user apply arm force against an elastic cord or other elastic structure harnessed to the user's body. This has the disadvantage that, if the user desires to change the force that must be supplied by his or her arms, some adjustment must be made in the elastic structure. In addition, the rigid attachment of elastic cords to structures that are attached to the body of a user results in uncomfortable movement of these structures against the body.
Patents based on the use of an elastic structure are:
______________________________________ Inventor U.S. Pat. No. Issued ______________________________________ Frappier 5,518,480 May 21, 1996 Romney 5,514,059 May 7, 1996 Davies 5,433,688 Jul. 18, 1995 Block 5,141,223 Aug. 25, 1992 Wilkinson 5,137,272 Aug. 11, 1992 Castellanos 5,129,647 Jul. 14, 1992 Wehrell 5,961,573 Oct. 9, 1990 Hopkins 4,540,173 Sep. 10, 1985 ______________________________________
In addition to elastic structures, some of the patents have additional structural differences that distinguish them from the present invention, and some place additional constraints on movements by the users.
Other prior exercise devices, while not relying on elastic cords to provide the resistance against which the user's arms have to apply force, also fall short of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,518 to Hatley et al. does not require that the user's arms work against each other, as in the present invention.
Marshall, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,249, issued Apr. 8, 1997, uses recoilers on separate ropes, not one rope that forces the user's arms to exert force against each other by way of an inelastic rope.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,402,179, Piscitelli shows an exercise device that not only uses a rubber cord but also fails to provide protection for the user's body and thus requires that, instead of moving in a forward direction, the user's arms must move out to each side.